Imake a Difference Funds Students Youth Rhino Summit

The first ever International Youth Rhino
Summit will begin this year on World Rhino Day (21-23
September, 2014) and charitable trust - Imake a Difference
(est 2013), will fund the experience for three Kiwi students
as well as financially supporting Vietnamese students with
the support of the US government.

The summit is a
worldwide call to action by the youth against poaching and
all other forms of wildlife crime, organised by Rhino Art.
It will be a focused gathering of 100 young conservation
leaders of 15-17 years old from South Africa and other
representative countries around the world.

Three students,
one from each of Kristin School, Westlake Girls High School
and Hutt International Boys’ School, will attend this
year. Imake a Difference approached the schools offering the
opportunity earlier this year, and all the students are
required to do is bring home what they’ve learnt and share
the message. Imake a Difference approached these schools
because of their connections to the organisation. Peter,
originally from Wellington wanted a local boys school to be
given the opportunity as well as schools (Kristin School and
Westlake Girls High School) that are located close to where
the charity runs from. It is also indicative of how Imake a
Difference works, always trying to make it possible for
anyone to be part of this cause.

Delegates, educators, and
conservation leaders, will be brought together at the
symbolic IMfolozi Game Reserve, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
to directly address the current rhino poaching crisis and
develop resolutions needed to stop it. The mission is to
engage youth conservation leaders in rhino/wildlife
conservation & protection strategies and empower delegates
to become ambassadors for wildlife &
conservation.

Luke Nouata (Y13) from Hutt
International Boys’ School, who feels “privileged,
humbled and exceedingly excited” to attend, says that
it’s sad that even though we are all part of a global
community, our insular view of the world means we aren’t
often impacted by such issues. He believes he will be able
to help spread the word and hopefully show people that an
individual really can make a difference. He intends to
continue learning about the impacts of environmental
sustainability and conservation and take that with him into
a degree in architecture at university.

The rhino have
been one of Anna Chambers’ (Y12)
favourite animals from a young age and now she wants to find
out more about how she can help and what can be done about
the poaching epidemic. Kristin School’s delegate Anna,
believes we are very sheltered from these sorts of problems
in New Zealand, and “so there isn’t really any awareness
of these issues amongst [her] peers or New Zealanders”.
She wants to make people aware so people can understand the
severity of the problem and get on board because “we can
really make a difference if we all work
together”.

Westlake Girls High School chose
Bryar Renshaw (Y12) and they will also
provide the student chaperone Ms Pamela Wade (part time
English teacher, freelance writer and Imake a Difference
supporter). Bryar has some innovative ways to educate people
on the issue and thinks that might be part of why she was
chosen. She feels that being part of this is “such an
awesome responsibility” and knows that we need to not only
support the rhino, but stamp out the supply and demand that
fuels this problem. Bryar particularly likes the idea that
they’ll be camping in the thick of it, near the animals
rather than being distanced from it all in a hotel miles
away. She looks forward to “actually getting to see, hear
and smell the Savannah”.

Each student went through a
grueling application process, to prove their desire to make
a difference and be chosen to attend. We’re sure we’ve
got the best ambassadors we could find.

Pamela looks
forward to chaperoning the students and having been before,
as part of an Imake a Difference expedition, she is well
equipped for what’s ahead.

As well as having the
privilege to be part of sending these three students, Imake
a Difference also had the unique opportunity to help
Vietnamese students attend too. We support the Rhino Art
programme which is running the summit and they wanted to
include some Vietnamese schools who run the programme there
too. Vietnam is one of the main users of rhino horn so the
charity felt it was important that they be able to attend.
Our funding couldn’t quite cover all of the costs so the
US government is looking to pay the balance to make it
possible.

Imake a Difference has many projects in place to
help save the rhino from the rising brutality of poaching
for their horn, but educating our children is the most
important project of them all. Our children are our future
and they hold the power to really make a difference for the
rhino. Let their voices be heard.

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